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"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
Zhou Shangjing's expression was dull, but as he spoke, everyone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony looked solemn and dignified. 【Read full text】
What Emperor Deqing said just now was actually a hint to the officials that for the sake of the overall situation, the issue of refugees from all over the country coming to Beijing to complain should be minimized and trivial, and the impact should be reduced as much as possible by treating it coldly. If someone uses this incident to stir up trouble and spread the bad influence further, they are deliberately destroying the majesty and reputation of Emperor Deqing and the court, and they have a disobedient heart!
Obviously, as people from all over the country came to Beijing to complain, Emperor Deqing also realized that the current situation of Prince Zhu Heyu was not good, and he was trying to find a way to protect him.
Officials from various factions in the DPRK also had some scruples because of this hint. Although they had plans in advance, they did not dare to speak easily.
At this time, among the hundreds of officials, only Zhou Shangjing dared to confront Emperor Deqing.
However, with Zhou Shangjing's consistent style, it seemed that he would not openly oppose Emperor Deqing.
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On the other side, seeing Zhou Shangjing coming out to speak, Emperor Deqing narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly: "Oh? Zhou Aiqing has something to report? It's rare. Tell me what it is."
Under the attention of all the officials, Zhou Shangjing's expression remained indifferent, and he just said slowly: "The veteran has also benefited a lot from your majesty's golden words just now. The purpose of the southern tour is to spread the majesty of the imperial court and emphasize the existence of the emperor. This is the most important thing. The influence must not be ruined because of the selfish interests of villains. Otherwise, the reputation of both His Majesty and the court will be damaged. But at the same time, if something unexpected happens, we should prioritize the matter and put the overall situation first, even if we have to investigate , and must not be strictly investigated, otherwise it will only further expand such bad influence, make it known to the whole world, and ultimately shake the people's hearts and the society."
Everyone was stunned when they heard Zhou Shangjing say this.
After Zhou Shangjing came out, everyone thought he would speak out against Emperor Deqing. After all, there are many truths that can be said at this time, such as "eliminating all evil" and "righting the world." Just repeat what Prince Zhu Heyu said in the past.
But I never expected that Zhou Shangjing not only did not refute Emperor Deqing, but also greatly agreed with Emperor Deqing's views! ?
Could it be that Zhou Shangjing compromised with Emperor Deqing just because of a few meaningful threats?
Standing in the queue of officials, Zhao Junchen looked at Zhou Shangjing's old but not to be underestimated back. Know that things are never that simple.
Sure enough, after Zhou Shangjing finished speaking, he suddenly turned his gaze to Prince Zhu Heyu and asked with a gentle expression: "I think that His Highness the Prince must have the same view. Prince, do you think this is the case?"
But a mere inquiry caused a sudden change in the situation!
As Zhou Shangjing finished speaking. The expressions of Emperor Deqing and the prince's party all changed!
But Zhao Junchen's face showed an expression of admiration.
As expected of Zhou Shangjing, he is still as old as he is old!
From beginning to end, Zhou Shangjing had no intention of offending Emperor Deqing! It was just at the end that I asked Prince Zhu Heyu!
However, Zhou Shangjing's inquiry seemed ordinary, but Prince Zhu Heyu found himself in a dilemma. It doesn't work to say "yes", nor does it work to say "no"!
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that both Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing were actually talking about how refugees from all over the country came to Beijing to complain because of the flaws in the preparations for the southern tour.
And Prince Zhu Heyu was directly responsible for the preparations for the southern tour!
At this time, Prince Zhu and Yuruo agreed with Zhou Shangjing's point of view. If he agrees to let this matter go, what position will he have in the future to accuse Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen and others of corruption, taking bribes, and forming cliques for personal gain? What will those princelings who gather around the prince because they admire his uprightness and uprightness think after seeing the prince's statement? Government and opposition officials and people. How would you view Prince Zhu Heyu?
If Prince Zhu Heyu disagrees with Zhou Shangjing's point of view, not only will he refute Emperor Deqing's kind protection in person, causing him to offend Emperor Deqing again, but the major factions in the DPRK will also seize the opportunity to impeach him. Refugees from all over the country come to Beijing to file complaints, causing trouble. Prince Zhu Heyu and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will also be in trouble. But Emperor Deqing no longer had the position to stop anything.
Thinking like this, Zhao Junchen admired Zhou Shangjing's sophisticated methods more and more, but also felt regretful in his heart. Looking at Zhu Heyu's back, he secretly thought: "What a pity, given the prince's temperament, what will happen next..."
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Sure enough, after hearing Zhou Shangjing's inquiry, Crown Prince Zhu Heyu's expression first changed, then a trace of hesitation flashed across his expression, and then he showed determination and determination, stepped out and said loudly: "Father, you and the Chief Assistant... My lord, I don’t agree with what you mean!”
Emperor Deqing's face darkened, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes!
What Emperor Deqing said just now was clearly for the sake of Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, and to silence all the officials before they impeached the prince, but the prince refuted him in front of all the officials! Show no mercy!
But Zhu Heyu did not take this into consideration, and just said righteously: "Father, in my opinion, it is precisely because the southern tour matter is of great importance and has far-reaching impact, so if there are villains who take advantage of the opportunity to make profits for themselves, , thus ruining the reputation of the father and the imperial court, and causing a bad impact, it should be severely punished! Only in this way can we deter those corrupt officials, and can the people of the world regain their confidence in the legal justice of the imperial court! If A big issue is reduced to a trivial matter, and finally nothing is done. It seems to have reduced the impact, but it will chill the hearts of knowledgeable people in the world! Please give me a clear warning, Father!"
Seeing Emperor Deqing's expression becoming increasingly unhappy, Zhao Junchen shook his head secretly and sighed in his heart: "Why do you always have to show your integrity in a reckless way? You also have to consider the timing to show your integrity."
However, after Prince Zhu Heyu's statement, Emperor Deqing no longer had the position to cover up for him.
And just as Zhao Junchen sighed secretly, Shen Changmao suddenly stepped out and sneered: "Oh? Is this what His Highness the Crown Prince thinks? You are really speaking righteously. However, Your Highness the Crown Prince, although your words sound good, in recent days, What he did was inconsistent with his words and deeds, which the old minister couldn’t agree with!”
Then, Huang Yourong was seen coming out. With a look of compassion, Huang Yourong reported to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, a lot of things have happened in the capital in recent days, which are related to your Majesty's southern tour and have extremely great influence. It's bad, just because it involves a big shot in the court. The veteran has the same thoughts as His Majesty. He is worried that if there is a strict investigation, this matter will become more and more serious, so he has been suppressing it. But after hearing what the prince said just now, After that, the old minister had to say these things!"
Emperor Deqing glanced at Zhu Heyu, with an angry look in his eyes, and seemed to sigh again. Then he looked solemn and said slowly: "Oh? What is it? Who is involved? ? Huang Aiqing, please tell me and let me listen."
Huang Yourong sighed and said, "Your Majesty, just four days ago, people from Heze, Shandong Province came to Beijing to complain, saying that local officials took the opportunity to prepare for Your Majesty's southern tour to forcibly expropriate land and frequently increase taxes, causing many people to suffer. Being displaced and even having their families destroyed, the people were miserable and had no choice but to go to the capital to file a complaint. However, after they arrived in the capital, because His Highness the Crown Prince was responsible for the preparations for the southern tour, neither the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple nor the Ministry of Punishment dared to do so. Accepting the case, the Metropolitan Procuratorate was bent on covering up the prince, and even beat the refugees in the street, which caused an extremely bad impact in the capital. There were also rumors between the government and the public, and the legal justice of the court was from then on. , I have no confidence anymore! Such a situation has a serious impact, I hope your Majesty will investigate it strictly!"
As the three cabinet ministers took the lead in speaking, the prince was once again cornered. Officials from all factions became more energetic and finally no longer scrupulous about Emperor Deqing's hints, and started to impeach him one after another!
"Your Majesty, there have been such big mistakes in the preparations for the southern tour. As the person responsible, the Crown Prince cannot absolve himself of the blame. I hope Your Majesty will learn from it!"
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, there have been rumors about the flaws in the preparations for the southern tour for a long time. Censors from various places have also sent impeachment papers to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. However, all these impeachment papers were rejected by the Procuratorate. I hope your Majesty will understand clearly!"
"Your Majesty, during this incident, the Metropolitan Procuratorate was bent on covering up the Crown Prince. There was no justice at all. Not only did they refuse to accept the cases of ordinary people, they also beat and drove away the refugees in the street. The impact is extremely bad. I hope Your Majesty will punish you severely!"
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the people who are being oppressed and exploited because of the preparations for the Southern Tour are by no means limited to Heze, Shandong, but from Zhili in the north to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Wherever Your Majesty visited during the Southern Tour, The preparations all went wrong more or less, and people from all over the country came to Beijing to complain. In the past four days alone, three waves of refugees have come to Beijing! And the people who were on their way to Beijing to complain did not know that there were How many!"
"Your Majesty, I heard that Jia Simao, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, secretly left the capital yesterday, and actually arrested and intercepted people along the way who came to Beijing to complain! Such actions have further damaged the reputation of the imperial court. I hope your majesty will investigate strictly. !”
"Your Majesty, what the Metropolitan Procuratorate has done in the past few days can no longer be said to be fair. It has ignored the laws of the imperial court and ignored His Majesty's majesty. The Metropolitan Procuratorate and its subordinates are all responsible for their crimes. They should be severely rectified. I hope Your Majesty will learn from it. !”
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All of a sudden, officials from various factions came out to impeach Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. In just a moment, more than ten officials came out to impeach the prince, with great momentum.
When Prince Zhu Heyu and the Imperial Procuratorate saw such momentum, they all looked angry as if they were being pointed out by thousands of people. However, most of the things these impeachment officials said were facts, but they also made them reluctant to do so. Know how to retort.
The foundation of the prince's party's momentum in the government is in jeopardy!
At this moment, Emperor Deqing finally spoke. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Please go to m.qidian. to read.)
